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Pex and Shark Bite Fittings

yojimbo2 | Posted in Construction Techniques on March 19, 2008 03:17am

I plumbed by first bathroom renovation with Pex and Shark Bite fittings this morning.  Holy sh…….., 

What usually takes 8 hrs took only 2!  This is plug and play.  And you can take it apart quickly and adust the length.  No more dealing with drips and soldering under the house.  What a fantastic combination.

Sure the fittings, at about $5 each are steep, but you way make it up in time and hassle saved.

The only downside is that I have to unload all my copper.

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  1. Pelipeth | Mar 19, 2008 03:29am | #1

    Am in the process of a bath remodel now & just used my first shark bite. Wonderful engineering! Small bath & still got $73 for the scrap copper and brass.

  2. Derr82 | Mar 19, 2008 05:15am | #2

    Same deal here. Putting a bath where none was for a customer.  Pex and S.B. fittings and a small amount of copper. 1/3 the time.  Gotta love it.  I'll take the price over the time any day of the week.

  3. Barney | Mar 19, 2008 05:42am | #3

    Thank you for reinforcing my determination to use pex in my new addition. May I ask what size lines did you run? Did you use a multiple manifold systems like suggested in FHB?

    Thanks
    Barney

    1. plumbbill | Mar 19, 2008 06:10am | #4

      Just like electricity size depends on length & load.

      “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

      1. dovetail97128 | Mar 19, 2008 08:12am | #5

        Are you talking about drains or what girl friends said? ;-)
        They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

        1. plumbbill | Mar 19, 2008 08:45am | #6

          Oh sure get it thrown to the tav <GD&R>

          “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

    2. yojimbo2 | Mar 20, 2008 06:38am | #8

      Since I was just doing a bathroom and working off existing 1/2" iron pipe, I just extended it with 1/2" pex. 

      I saw that article in FHB, it was a long time ago, with the manifolds.  I never really understood what that was all about.  You can run it just like you run iron pipe and copper-using 3/4" for the trunk lines and 1/2" as you branch off to each fixture.

      Are you planning on plumbing a whole house with Shark Bites? It might actually make sense cost wise.  You save a lot using pex instead of copper, both on cost and installation time, and then burn the savings on the cost of the Shark Bites, but then make up the difference on installation time on the SB's.

  4. User avater
    xxPaulCPxx | Mar 19, 2008 09:32am | #7

    One thing everyone should be careful with:  Sometime the Sharkbite does not have the internal diameter for the flow needed for the tub/shower valves.  I would fill my tub and get surprised by the shower head running at the same time.  Goingt to a tube run closer to the actual 1/2" internal diameter (vs. 3/8" on the inside of a 1/2" sharkbite)

    Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA

    Also a CRX fanatic!

    If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts.  You nut, you.

  5. User avater
    McDesign | Mar 20, 2008 01:07pm | #9

    Used two SBs last night - added some crawlspace windows; ran two hose bibs through the casing - only a moment to cut the copper, thread through the window units, and push back together.

    Client was amazed.

    Forrest

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